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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. hand — help
  4. key — in music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. content — the amount
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. content — happy
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. board — a committee
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. hand — in cards
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com